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condition and is popular for wedding photos , it ’ s understandable why , beneath the rubble is a peculiar beauty of times gone by . Our hotel was also once one of the luxurious spa resorts and the grandeur was evident within the walls today .
Leaving the lower lying area of Kutiasi in central Georgia , we headed northwest and followed the Patari Enguri river up into the Caucasus mountains again , this time on the western side of the occupied territory of South Ossetia . Today the roads were not so good , as often they were affected by the high altitudes and the snow brought with it . Nevertheless , it was absolutely stunning , riding toward Ushba ( 4690m ) in the distance ; the massive snow-capped mountain had its head in the clouds .
Riding through Lenashi arriving in
Mestia , the prominent stone towers dominated the landscape . The towers are 16th Century and were not used to fight against invasion from other countries , these towers were defence towers to protect each other from neighbours . Apparently , a-lot of blood battles used to occur here , hence the windows way up high - for dropping stones on their enemy .
Spending the day in Mestia , we
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